This blog explores how music's creative principles and practices can be applied to everyday life and work.

Friday, 12 April 2013

Repeat, adjust and improve

When I was a
music student I remember watching a musical master class. What struck me most
was the intense focus upon the details of the music and its technical and interpretive challenges.

A student would play through a piece once. Then the
Maestro would make some introductory comments about the music overall. She
would then quickly focus upon one or two sections, discussing the best way to
play and interpret them and asking the student to play and then replay a
passage, trying out different techniques and ways of interpreting it.

This
process was repetitive but also generative. Each time you heard the same
passage but slightly changed and, over time, you could hear how
each adjustment added to the overall quality of the music.

The above process can be likened to a golfer repeatedly practising a particular type of
shot, making slight adjustments each time, until eventually it is not only
perfected but also consistently executed.

When
working on an idea or solution focus upon its key aspects and the areas you need to polish or improve. Adjust and if necessary rehearse these until you are
happy that your idea or solution will consistently deliver the quality
and results you require.

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Charles M Lines

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About Charles M Lines

Charles M Lines trained as a musician and studied composition at the Colchester School of Music during the early 1980s. He joined the UK Civil Service in 1984 where he worked for various government departments, eventually specialising in management consultancy, training and development. In 1996 he became a Senior Lecturer at the UK Civil Service College.

At the age of 41 he left the Civil Service to work as an independent management consultant and trainer. He has since been in demand both at home and abroad, providing management consultancy and training events to a very wide range of clients.

He speaks and writes regularly about creative problem solving and how music's creative principles and practices can help us all be more creative in our approach to life and work.